Mylohyus

The species Mylohyus elmorei, initially classified under the genus Prosthennops, was moved to the genus Mylohyus in 1984. == Description ==

The long-nosed peccary was about in height and in weight. It had an elongated face, long, thin legs and dewclaws. == Habitat and distribution ==

During the last glacial, long-nosed peccaries, sensu lato, were distributed throughout southeastern North America with concentrations in Appalachia and Florida. Most fossil localities containing this species are found in the southern and south-eastern U.S., from west Texas to Florida, and north to Pennsylvania. Mylohyus nasutus, if considered to be a different species than M. fossilis, occupied the western part of this range, but their classification as separate species is disputed. == Palaeobiology ==

Social behaviour Unlike the flat-headed peccary, Platygonus compressus, the long-nosed peccary was probably a solitary animal and did not frequent caves. Palaeoecology Stable isotopic and anatomical studies have suggested that the diet of Mylohyus varied over geological time, from being primarily a C3 browser during the Blancan to an increasing consumption of C4 vegetation during the Irvingtonian, with a relatively even mixture of C3 and C4 plants by the time of the Rancholabrean. Suggestions have been made based on the textural patterns of its dental microwear that it was frugivorous and also consumed hard browse like twigs. Mylohyus was able to coexist with close phylogenetic relatives because of efficient niche partitioning between it and other genera of peccaries. The presence of the species M. elmorei in the Gray Fossil Site has been invoked as evidence of the palaeoenvironment being highly forested due to the association of the species with forests. ==Sources==